Review of Antonia's Line (1995) by Bridget K — 10 May 2004

Antonia?s Line, directed by Marleen Gorris, is a Dutch movie that explores the family lineage of one exceptional woman, named Antonia. This film is optimistic about life, but it would be difficult to call it lighthearted. In Antonia?s Line, Antonia and all her female descendents challenge conventions, not for the sake of resisting society, but because they want to live life to the fullest and on their own terms. Antonia is an extremely loving woman who has one daughter but no husband. She has no dependence whatsoever on men, and when a man proposes to her shortly after she moves back to her small hometown, saying his sons need a mother, she refuses saying she does not need his sons.

There are many instances of subverting the typical female stereotypes of neediness and dependence on men. Antonia?s daughter decides to have a child without a husband because she does not see one as a necessary for the other; eventually, she meets a woman and realizes that she is a lesbian. Antonia finds this as normal and acceptable as anything else and is happy that her daughter has found love. This film shows the strength of women who are flourishing without men, or at least not because of men.

At one point in the film, Sarah, Antonia?s great-granddaughter, falls down and hurts herself. Therese, her mother and Antonia?s granddaughter, runs to help, but her husband is already taking care of the child, so she returns to her mathematical studies. At first it seems that Therese is portrayed as a less-than-attentive mother because of her extreme intelligence and her job as a mathematics professor. However, we could also view this as a less stereotypical way to handle the situation in the film, since many films portray working mothers as still being capable of taking care of the children at all times while the husband does little to help.

With the constant expansion of Antonia?s house and family, and the overwhelming happiness that seems to spill forth, one might see the film as a fairytale of sorts. However, the plot itself tells a far more realistic story. Two girls are raped, including Therese when she is very young, and Deedee who is mentally retarded and is raped by her own brother. Crooked Finger, Therese?s beloved mentor and fellow philosopher, commits suicide and Deedee?s husband is killed in a tractor accident. There are many other deaths and heartaches in the film, but Gorris presents the sadness as being part of the natural cycle of life and death. Allowing us to see both the incredible sorrow and the amazing joy of the characters in this film, Gorris creates a world where life is always celebrated, no matter what it brings.

Some might say that this movie pushes men to the background or that it is some sort of feminist diatribe. However, I believe this movie is about the strength of one woman and the love of life that she passes down to all her descendents; it is not about women being better than men or not needing men. Women are celebrated, and although men do not figure centrally in the film, they are not treated as if they were less than women in this film. This film is simply about women living their lives to the fullest, whether men are a part of those lives or not. Antonia?s Line shows women who are not being viewed by males and who do not exist and present themselves for the benefit of men. If one insists on calling it a feminist diatribe, I say bring on the ?militant? feminists if they make films like this!

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